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SinoViet Infinitum Star Yacht
|operators=Various Civilians |subclasses=SinoViet Eternum |type=Star Yacht |length=*108 meters (354.331 feet) *118 meters (387.139 feet) |width=*43.8 meters (143.701 feet) *55 meters (180.446 feet) |height=*20 meters (65.617 feet) *30 meters (98.425 feet) |mass=*Infinitum **3,750 Tonnes **4,500 Tonnes **5,250 Tonnes *Eternum **4,000 Tonnes **4,750 Tonnes **5,500 Tonnes |engine=*OKB Karman 100C (2) *OKB Karman C-Line Fusion Thrusters (16) |slipspace drive= |power= |hull=*55 centimeters of *65 centimeters of |navigation=* * |armament=Unarmed |crew=Pilot, Dumb AI |skeleton=Pilot |passengers=Housing for up to 10 |capacity=*1 Cargo Hold **35x20x10 meters (114.829x65.617x32.808 feet) **40x20x15 meters (131.234x65.6168x49.2126 feet) |era= |role=*Luxury Star Yacht *Light Freighter }} The SinoViet Infinitum Star Yacht, also known as just the Star Yacht or Infinitum in most casual conversation, is a long-range civilian luxury vessel produced for upper-middle-class to upper-class consumers. Between the size ranges of a fighter and a Corvette, the Infinitum was built a few years after the end of the to provide well-off civilians the ability to journey in style through the stars with their family, friends, and other guests. While unarmed, the vessel was heavily armored for its size and the powerful fusion reactor, efficient and reliable fusion drives and thrusters, and the onboard that all Infinitums come with allowed the vessel to comfortably outrun and outmaneuver most other ships that would wish it harm and have the weaponry to achieve the task. Additionally, all Infinitum yachts come off the line with a full electronic and physical countermeasures suite to prevent enemy missiles from acquiring and keeping a targeting lock and an advanced Starwerx slipspace drive for quick, relatively accurate slipspace jumps. These systems all worked to ensure the safety of the civilian lives aboard an Infinitum by enabling them to outmaneuver, outrun, and, eventually slipspace jump away from any external threats, be it pirates or a hostile military, and continue along the luxury cruise of outer space. While primarily focused on speed and the comfort and safety of the passengers, the Infinitum star yacht also provides a modestly sized cargo bay for carrying goods and supplies beyond what can fit in the more livable areas of the ship. This has led some to utilize their star yachts as cargo freighters alongside their intended purpose, following the trade routes to make a modest source of income off of carried cargo while simultaneously touring various star systems. However, due to the location of the cargo bay on the lower rear of the ship, almost entirely separate from the areas of the ship for housing and entertaining the passengers, these cargo runs could often be done without interfering with the luxurious atmosphere of the rest of the vehicle. This was further compounded by separate entrances for the cargo bay and the living area of the ship, allowing passengers to enter into the vessel without having to pass into the cargo bay and cargo workers to enter the cargo bay without having to pass through the living area of the ship (though there was an internal corridor connecting the two areas). Operational History Development 325px|thumb|Promotional Image of the Infinitum Development of the Infinitum began in late-2553 as more of SinoViet's budget was redirected to their civilian branches once more following the end of the Human-Covenant war. Desiring to reintroduce themselves to the civilian space vessel scene in the high-end market, they wanted to develop a luxury star yacht that would be able to enter the market quickly and outperform any potential competitors in regards to speed and comfort, with cost concerns falling behind in the consideration due to the intended market. With this in mind, SinoViet began conversing with Starwerx, Orphios Energy Systems, and OKB Karman to secure contracts for high-end fusion reactors, drives, and thrusters as well as one of the most precise civilian slipspace drive models available at the time. While these contracts were being written up and designed by their specific companies, SinoViet designers set to work on the design of the ship itself, developing a promotional image for the exterior of the ship by early the next year. By the fourth quarter of 2554, SinoViet had secured their external contracts and had begun working on a prototype model of the vessel. However, it was at this point that they began to run into problems with development. When attempting to install the provided slipspace drive and fusion reactor onto the prototype, it was discovered that the two systems were able to connect physically, but the computer wasn't able to get the two to properly communicate, resulting in irregularities in the power flow which almost overloaded the slipspace drive, severely damaging the model. This damage, combined with working out a solution to the communication problem itself, resulted in the need to sink additional time and costs into the project. By the time the original problem had a theoretical solution and a new slipspace drive had been supplied to SinoViet, they were already running approximately six months behind schedule, not finalizing the prototype until the middle of 2555. Still aiming to launch by the first quarter of 2556, SinoViet switched plans for the ship, opting to forgo getting the permits to construct the ship with weapons and instead launching a marketing campaign that the Infinitum was to be developed with only weapon hardpoints to allow for cheaper personalization of each ship and increase availability to those civilians who couldn't afford to get permission themselves to own armed ships. While there were rumors that this wasn't the original plan for the vessel, especially considering how various leaks seemed to indicate the company was running behind schedule, the marketing department managed to sell the idea sufficiently that interest in the Star Yacht in fact increased as time got closer and closer to the launch. Through the last six months of development, Infinitums were being produced for the various pre-orders for the vessels, and the development teams shifted focus to the up-armored, Eternum subclass. As the only thing changed on this vessel was the scale and extra armor, the design was finished at the very beginning of 2556, starting the production of the subclass for its own launch later in the year. Production Run The decision to leave off weapons systems and switch marketing resulted in a successful early-2556 launch, with the first Infinitum pre-order being delivered on February 15, the rest of the pre-orders being delivered throughout the remainder of the month, and the public launch of the class landing on March 1. While the ship was originally sold only as a base model for the first few months, June saw the introduction of custom order Infinitums using a selection of various upgraded features, including options such as light-up cup holders, different internal color palettes, entertainment systems in the observation lounge, and many other similar extras. This saw another wave of hype building around the vessel for the upper-class customer base that eventually culminated in the announcement of the Eternum subclass and the subsequent marketing campaign for this up-armored variant. Launching on July 1, 2556, this campaign placed a large degree of emphasis on the survivability of the vessel being key and SinoViet looking out for its loyal customers and their need for protection against pirates. While the model still lacked weapons, this was further pulled off as a feature to increase customization options for the consumer, playing off of the success that this strategy had seen with the original release. To emphasize this approach, SinoViet promised an increased number of hardpoints, the marketing campaign further elaborating on the wide variety of sizes and forms these could take. While this focus on the survivability and consumer choice provided by the new model saw it gain modest appeal among the target audience, the quick turnaround from Infinitum to Eternum led many to worry shortcuts would be taken with the new model that would decrease its overall efficacy. Overall, this saw fewer pre-orders for the newer ship, both due to saturation of the market with the original model of Infinitum and the more cautious attitude taken by those still interested in a higher-end spacecraft. 325px|thumb|left|Promotional Image of the Eternum Subclass's Bridge These fears later proved to be well-grounded in reality with the launch and delivery of the first Eternum subclass to a review company in late-September, 2556. While the review provided glowing praise for the increased survivability and customization available to the Eternum, factors which everyone already knew to expect, the much less impressive remarks about the impact the increased mass had on the acceleration and maneuverability of the vessel stuck in the minds of the consumers much more. The cool reception of the Eternum subclass continued through the delivery of the remaining pre-orders over the course of October, and, following the public launch of the variant on November 1, 2556, SinoViet faced troubles even selling the models that had already been partially constructed. Eventually, this culminated in an announcement in late-December 2556 that the Eternum subclass would no longer be offered once all models were sold, with SinoViet banking on the rarity this created being able to sell the remaining frames they had in stock. The ploy worked and the last original Eternum was sold on March 3, 2557, following which resources were dedicated back to producing, maintaining, and marketing the original model of Infinitum. Sales of the base model continued to do well in the market through the remainder of 2557 and the beginning of 2558, eventually leading to SinoViet announcing a limited rerun of the Eternum subclass in May of that year. The marketing of this model leaned on what they had learned from the last time the subclass had been sold and focused much more heavily on the uniqueness of the design, downplaying the need for the drive performance of the original model and playing into the hands of the upper class's vanity and desire to show off their wealth. With several "luxury" features added on including all of the later options for the Infinitum model as well as leather seats with climate controls, lighting with the ability to cycle through colors across the entire visible spectrum and even mimic sunlight, and a variety of luxury paneling options, from gold to hardwood to mother-of-pearl. Despite the corresponding bump in price tag, the half-dozen ships offered in this rerun sold within the first week of being announced, a cult following having grown among the ultra-rich since the original limited-production run of the Eternum. Delivered on June 1, 2558, the ships faced many of the same problems the original run of Eternums had faced but were instead met with approval by the individuals who had purchased them, driving additional profits towards SinoViet as old models were being resold to new customers who often came back to the original company to customize and upgrade their new yachts. It was these increased profits from the Infinitum and Eternum lines that drove SinoViet towards announcing than plans had begun for a third subclass focusing even more on comfortable travel at even higher speeds than the original Infinitum. While planning for this new model began in September 2558 following the August announcement, there wasn't even a finalized prototype on the production lines when the Created hit Earth in late-October, leading to the project being shut down as the Created conflict flared to its full fury. Role The Infinitum and Eternum Star Yachts were marketed as luxury options for personal space travel with the armor and maneuverability to survive hostile encounters with little risk to life or personal property. From this framing of their capabilities, they were designed to be perfectly suited to the upper-middle and upper classes as star-cruising vessels, both for general travel from planet to planet and more vacation oriented experiences with friends and families. Additionally, some of the customization packages offered on later-run Infintiums indicated that SinoViet was interested in approaching the private business vessel market, with options to facilitate business meetings and hosting clients. Finally, the second run of the Eternum Subclass served as collector's vessels for the extreme upper class. 325px|thumb|An Infinitum in Combat with Pirates However, the large degree of customization that the Infinitum and even more so the Eternum offered their owners lead to the vessels taking a larger variety of roles than originally intended by SinoViet. For example, many of the vessels, such as Elena Zaytseva's Burya, were used as mobile homes by their owners, with modifications to life support systems increasing the length of time they can stay in space before having to return for supplies and modifications to the cargo bay allowing the vessel to fit whatever jobs they took to among the stars. While most of the vessels that were used to aid in jobs either took to the cargo running route or the above mentioned private business spacecraft route, some of the original Infinitums were customized with aftermarket weaponry to allow the vehicles to serve as a sort of blockade runner as well, serving as ferries for important passengers and cargo to and from systems with documented cases of piracy or hostile activity. On the other side of the law, several Infinitums, particularly of the Eternum subclass, found their way into the hands of or other criminals, despite SinoViet's best efforts to distance the vehicles from illegal activity. These vessels were well suited as small strike craft when upgraded with weaponry and even stronger power plants, sublight drives, and slipspace drives. Additionally, several other modifications such as hull cutters for the and conversions of the cargo bays and some of the quarters into cells drew the attention of slavers, the vessel able to quickly close on a target, cut into its hull to allow for boarding parties, and retreat with their catches before they could face retaliation. In reality, while there were examples of the Infinitum being used for criminal activity that were grounded in reality, the extreme cost of the yachts saw the vessel being largely unused in this regard, the stories instead coming from one or two prolific criminals along the frontier and blown out of proportion as the rumors spread. Finally, several smaller militaries and the found a use for the Infinitum, particularly in one of two roles. The first was as a small strike craft, with most of the luxury upgrades stripped to lighten the vehicle and reduce the cost, the vehicles could be equipped with weaponry and, in some cases, even shields, provided with a crew, and sent into combat to escort larger vehicles, serving in a light corvette role for groups that couldn't afford the cost or materials for a true corvette. In the second role, the Infinitum maintained its luxury status, serving as a personal or fallback vessel for high ranking officials. In such a role, they would either serve as a symbol of status, a mobile command center, or both for these important officers, allowing them to command any operations they were taking part in from the safety and comfort of a proportionally well armored, fast, and maneuverable vehicle with all of the necessary amenities to control their side of the battle. Layout The Infinitum was composed of three decks, though the uppermost deck was relatively small, just the bridge, a ladder down to the next level, and a moderately sized airlock for other ships to dock to the vessel. The bridge itself was outfitted with four consoles, a pilot and copilot seat towards the front viewport of the ship and a navigator's seat to the port and a technician's seat to the starboard. Between the copilot and pilot seats was a small holotank for the ship's complementary dumb AI. With this dumb AI installed, the ship could be flown almost completely autonomously, though a human pilot was still recommended for more complex movements and to request clearances for various systems. Without the AI, the ship could be flown by a single passenger, but it was recommended to at least have a navigator and copilot, with the technician only truly being necessary for combat scenarios to run the countermeasures. left|325px|thumb|A Typical Layout for the Quarters Onboard an Infinitum Below this was the main living area, with a central corridor going the length of the ship from engineering in the rear above the cargo bay to the main gathering area and kitchen to the front. Along this corridor, on either side, between the engineering and entertainment sections were several quarters for the owners and their guests, ten in total, with two bathrooms on either side. Each set of quarters were set up to accommodate up to three individuals, with a queen-sized bed and a pull-out couch coming standard. Access to this level was through the ladders towards the rear of the ship from the bridge level and, from the lowest level, ladders at the front through the lounge and ladders at the rear through engineering. This final level was composed of two large sections, each the height of approximately two individual decks joined together. The first of these sections, accessed through the fore ladders from the lounge, was a large observation deck. This observation deck was a large room with walls almost completely made out of transparent materials to allow for the viewing of the space surrounding the ship. While coming empty as standard, the room had hardpoints to attach one of several entertainment sets available either through SinoViet or third-party sources. These included things such as holoprojectors, various table sports, nets for net sports, or even a boxing ring. The main passenger access ramp was also in this section, dropping out from the floor of the observation deck. To the rear of this section, either accessed through a hidden panel from the observation lounge or the rear ladders through engineering was the cargo bay. This cargo bay had two additional airlocks, one to each side of the ship from it, though these were only accessible to smaller ships due to the overhang of the rear wings of the hull above them. Additionally, a set of large cargo doors and a loading ramp were present to the rear of the cargo bay, opening beneath the engines. This setup allowed for cargo to be loaded and unloaded without having to pass through the bulk of the vessel. Eternum Subclass left|325px|thumb|Eternum Subclass While the internal layout of the Up-Armored Infinitum (marketed as the Eternum) remained largely the same in regards to location, the 10 additional meters of length and height to the ship increased the size of many of the rooms of the ship, such as the quarters and dining hall. Additionally, the exterior profile changed quite a bit alongside the increase in scale with the addition of 10 centimeters additional armor all around and some additional support braces being added, most noticeable along the front nose and across the gap towards the rear of the vessel. Overall, while this provided for a moderately more sturdy vessel, should it ever take fire, it did rather significantly increase the mass of the ship (by approximately 250 tonnes at each mass point) without an overhaul of the propulsion system. While this didn't have a drastic effect on the overall performance of the vehicle, there was still a rather noticeable decrease in maneuverability and acceleration when compared to the base model. This decrease, while also taking into account that the vessel still lacked any shielding or weaponry, led to an overall lower number of sales for the Eternum, with only approximately half the number of the base model leaving the production line. Additionally, of those that were sold, a higher percentage of the Eternum were found to be modified by the purchaser with aftermarket components than the base model, such as new propulsion systems and the addition of weaponry. Ships of the Line Category:Corvette classes